Ankara Tells Moscow that Patriots are 'Strictly for Defense'

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday that Moscow has no reason to worry about the Patriot missiles Ankara has asked NATO to deploy on its troubled border with Syria.

"Patriots are strictly a measure of defense, as Russia and other countries already know," Davutoglu told reporters after a meeting with Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the newly-formed Syrian National Coalition.

"There is absolutely no reason for any country, particularly Russia, to worry about," the foreign minister said.

Moscow has reiterated concerns about the possible deployment of the Patriot surface-to-air missiles on the Turkish-Syrian border.

"Any accumulation of weapons creates a risk that any provocation may trigger a serious armed conflict. We would like to avoid it at all costs," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier on Friday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged Turkey to use its influence with Syria to broker peace in the war-torn nation, instead of deploying the missiles.

Turkey turned to NATO and placed an official request on Wednesday for the deployment of Patriot missiles to protect its border with Syria.

NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the Alliance would consider "without delay" the Turkish request, announcing that a team of experts would visit Turkey next week to conduct a site survey.

Ankara has been strengthening its defenses along the border with anti-aircraft batteries and tanks since June 22, when one of its F4 fighter jets was downed by Syria along with two pilots for a brief violation of Syrian airspace.

Turkey's ties with its former ally Syria hit a new low on October 3 when Syrian shells fired across the border killed five Turkish civilians, three of them children.

After both incidents, Ankara asked the Alliance to take measures to protect its border and contain the Syrian conflict, which has killed some 37,000 people in 20 months and sent more than 120,000 refugees into Turkey.